Iran\'s Vehicles Causing Air Pollution Banned From Capital

Published January 16th, 2001 - 03:00 GMT

Vehicles contributing to the already serious air pollution in this metropolis because of failure to install exhaust filters have been banned from ente

Vehicles contributing to the already serious air pollution in this metropolis because of failure to install exhaust filters have been banned from entering Iran's capital city as of Monday morning in a new round of anti-pollution measures, Tehran Times reported.

According to the paper, officers of the Iranian Traffic Department of the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) have launched a new plan that prohibits vehicles that emit pollutants from entering the city by way of its western, southern, eastern and northeastern entrances.

The report further added that stagnant air in the past few days has led to heavy air pollution in the capital city and which was blamed for poor visibility.

Tehran is among the most polluted megalopolises in the world on account of surrounding mountains that trap pollutants emitted by over 2 million vehicles plying its streets as well as the heavy industrial activity (37 percent of the country's industrial units are within the city).

According to AFP, pollution kills an estimated 4,600 people every year.

In December, a cleric issued a fatwa that deemed the causing of air pollution to be a sin, responding to reports that Tehran's air quality had reached danger levels. He called for urgent government measures to fight the phenomenon -- Albawaba.com